Still More Dragonflies

These dragonfly photos were taken almost three weeks ago and are just now finding their way to the blog.

Collage of Halloween Pennant Dragonflies

Collage of Twelve Spotted Skimmer Dragonflies

Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

Calico Pennant Dragonfly

Female Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly

Each summer, it gets harder to maintain the house and yard. We're aging, you know, as difficult as it is to accept that fact. So, this summer, we're getting some much-needed maintenance taken care of...things that would need to be done if we stayed here but that would also help sell the house if we decide to go that direction.

Among other things, we're getting a new front door. The house is nearly 45 years old, and the entry door has never been replaced. The wood in the side panels has cracked enough that we can see daylight through the cracks. So it's time. We've ordered the door and have hired an installer. So it's not in yet, but here's a picture of it from the online catalog:

When it arrives and is installed, I'll post before and after pictures.

We're also having a new roof put on the house and adding an improved venting system for the attic, along with a few other improvements and maintenance items. It's been time consuming and sometimes stressful as we line up professionals to take care of these things, but we're seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. 

As a friend likes to say, we just hope the light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train.

Fun and Miracles

Our friends, Terry and Diane, invited us to join them in Portland, Indiana on August 23, for what is billed as "the world's largest Gas Engine and Tractor Show." Well, I don't have any pictures from the show itself because Diane and I let the guys go there while she and I focused on the area garage sales. Next year, though, Lord willing, I'll try for some pictures from the show.

During a break from garage sales, Diane took me to the Jay County Courthouse, a beautiful structure both inside and out. 

Jay County Courthouse

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the inside of the courthouse that would do it justice. 

The yard of one of the homes having a garage sale was so beautiful that I just had to snap a couple of photos:

As I've mentioned before, cataract surgeries and the related appointments have taken up much of the last three months for Doug and me. But, with Doug's second surgery this past Tuesday, the surgeries are finally behind us. And I've even gotten my new glasses already. Doug still has to wait a few weeks or longer to get his.

The opthalmologist who did our surgeries is Dr. J. Rex Parent. At the follow-up appointment on the day after the patient's first surgery, Dr. Parent likes to have a photo taken with the patient and family member, which he then presents to the patient along with a rose and a gift bag containing a coffee mug and a windbreaker jacket.

Me with my rose on the left; Doug with his rose on the right
(I can't believe I wore the same thing on both occasions!)

I don't have a picture of my beautiful lavender rose because we ran errands that day before going home. It was a hot day, and the rose didn't survive the afternoon heat. But it perectly matched Dr. Parent's scrubs. I did, however, get some pictures of the rose given to Doug:

Lastly, I just had to include my before and after eyeglass prescriptions:

The numbers probably don't mean much to most of you, but let me tell you...the after-surgery prescription is a whole lot better than the before one. 

D.V. on the left refers to Distance Vision. 

O.D. is the right eye. 

O.S. is the left eye. 

Spherical indicates the degree of nearsightedness (-) or farsightedness (+).

Cylindrical indicates the amount of astigmatism.

Axis is a number between 0 and 180 degrees revealing the orientation of the astigmatism.

I can now see to get around nicely without glasses, which I could never have done before. I used to need glasses to find my glasses if I misplaced them. My new eyes do, however, need glasses for driving; and glasses are helpful for reading and computer work. 

The lenses on my new glasses are so thin! It's absolutely amazing to me because I've worn thick lenses for most of my life. 

I'm so grateful for this new ability to see...grateful to God first, of course, and grateful for the technology and doctors who made this miracle happen.

Life

This has been an interesting winter. After a heavy snowfall and some bitterly cold temperatures in December, the weather has been very mild. In fact, during the last two weeks, we had eight or 10 days with temperatures in the sixties (15-20 C). That set some records, brought some birds back a little early, and prompted some trees to begin budding.

Doug and I both had a touch of the flu, but nothing like other folks we know. Then Doug came down with another case of chronic hiccups, probably brought on by the coughing he'd been doing. After eight days, several trips to doctors, and trying various medicines, we finally resorted to going to the hospital emergency room. There, they were able to give him some more powerful medicine intravenously, and it cured him. That was 10 days ago and so far, so good.

In the midst of all that, I had to have some dental work done, involving the removal of four crowns (numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10), drilling out the decay in each of the teeth under the crowns, then fitting me with temporary crowns until the permanent ones could be installed on February 28.

Monday, as we were walking a neighborhood and passing out the John/Romans booklets that I mentioned in the last post, we knocked on the door of a pastor of another church. He and his wife invited us in and introduced us to another man and two women who were apparently staying with them for a time. As we talked, he invited us to attend a presentation on church safety at their church on Tuesday, the 28th, dealing with how churches can prepare for some of the dangers, both natural (as in killer storms) and criminal (as in killer humans), that are becoming so prevalent these days. Doug told him we wouldn't be able to go because I was getting new teeth that day. One of the lady guests said, "She'll be able to take a bite out of crime." Cracked me up.

It won't be long now until our favorite ice cream shop opens for the season.

Hope you've been having a good winter, whether in spite of or because of the weather. Spring is on the way.

A Nursery Worker I'm Not!

I've never really been good with children. I've never had any of my own, and I wasn't particularly stellar as a babysitter when I was a teenager. But that doesn't discourage churches that I've attended from asking me to help out in the nursery.

You can read about one of my nursery experiences here.

There is a young single mom who attends our church's mid-week Bible study. Her four-year-old daughter, Holly, accompanies her. Holly would be bored to distraction in the adult Bible study, so each week two or three of the women have been taking turns staying with Holly in the nursery for the duration of the study.

When more volunteers were sought, I didn't raise my hand.

But, the next week, Holly herself asked me to go to the nursery with her. I figured, since she specifically asked me, I should give it a try.

We hadn't been in the nursery for more than a few minutes when Holly announced that she had to go to the bathroom. I told her okay but she would have to be quiet when we passed the room where the Bible study was going on.

As we passed that room, Holly gave a big wave and called out, "Hi, Mommy!" This was followed by another wave as we returned to the nursery.

A few minutes after our return to the nursery, Holly told me that she'd forgotten to poop when she went to the bathroom earlier and that she really had to do that. I told her I didn't believe her, but she insisted that she had to go.

I told her okay, but I'd better hear a plop, plop in the toilet.

Back down the hall we went. Another wave. Another "Hi, Mommy!"

Holly went into the stall, and I soon heard the plop, plop.

A little voice said, "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's okay," came the reply. "I forgive you."

That little charmer could almost make a nursery worker out of me. But not quite.

Peace in the Midst of a Storm

It's been a trying week for me, as some of you already know. My Gmail account was hacked on Tuesday, the 18th. The hacker somehow got into the account and succeeded in locking me out. Then a phishing email was sent out to all my contacts, advising them that I was stranded in Cyprus with no money, no phone, and no passport and needing their help.

It took a couple of days for Google to investigate and let me back in. Meanwhile, I was locked out of all things Google, including my blog.

There is still a lot I want to do before I will feel semi-secure again; but, in the midst of it all, Doug and I enjoyed a day away at Ouabache State Park yesterday.

Here are some of the peaceful scenes that refreshed my soul.

The place at the park where we enjoy relaxing and reading

 

A butterfly paused just long enough for me to snap this shot.

Wildflowers growing alongside the lake

We try to get to Ouabache State Park about once a week, weather permitting. This summer, some friends have joined us most days; and we usually have supper together at the end of our relaxing afternoons.

It's always a treat to get away for an afternoon, but it was especially nice this week, taking time away from the computer woes at home.

I'm Back!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my discontinuance of this blog. For many months, the break from blogging brought a sense of relief. However, recently, I've felt the pull to begin again.

I'll begin with an update on my brother-in-law, Dennis, whose care was the primary reason I felt the need to take a leave from blogging last year. Dennis was released from his seven-month stay in the hospital last October and moved into the apartment that Doug and I had found for him. He's wheelchair-bound but managing nicely, with the help of a wonderful home health aide, who visits him several times a week. She goes to doctor appointments with him, takes him on shopping trips and on other errands, cleans his apartment, and just generally makes it possible for Dennis to retain his independence.

Although I've felt the desire to blog again, it has come with some reservations. Prior to my backing off from blogging a year ago, I had begun to feel overwhelmed with the amount of time required to read and comment on the blogs of those who so faithfully visited mine. Those who did me the kindness of visiting my blog deserved the same consideration from me, but the process was becoming more burdensome than enjoyable.

So, as I return to blogging, I need to say that, while I welcome your visits and your comments, and will read and treasure every one of them, I can't promise to return visit for visit or comment for comment. If your comment settings include an email address, I will reply by email. Otherwise, especially if you have a question about the post, I'll post the answer in the comment section of that post.

I realize that, with these disclaimers, there will be some who will prefer not to leave comments, and I totally understand that. No hard feelings.

Checking In, Checking Out

Hello, my friends.

 

I guess I owe you all an explanation of my recent absence, especially since some of you have contacted me outside of the blog to ask how things were going.

 

Doug's brother continues to grow stronger following the amputation of his lower left leg. But life is going to change for him, and the process is keeping Doug and me very busy. So busy, in fact, that I've decided to suspend the blog indefinitely.

 

First, though, because you've all been so supportive, I want to bring you up to date.

 

Because Veterans Affairs is unable to make Dennis' old apartment wheelchair accessible, Dennis is going to have to find a new place to live. And, because he's in rehab, he's unable to look for a new apartment. So that search will fall to Doug and me.

 

We have a meeting today with the staff at the V. A. hospital, where Dennis had his surgery and is now undergoing physical and occupational therapy. After that meeting, we'll have a better idea of what we need to look for in an apartment for him. Then the search will begin in earnest.

 

Meanwhile, we've been taking care of life's little details for him and visiting and encouraging him as much as possible, as well as managing things here at home. That has left no time for keeping up my own blog or visiting yours.

 

So, my kind friends, after checking in with you via this post, I'll be checking out of blogging indefinitely. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday; but for all intents and purposes, I'll bid you farewell.

 

Thanks for being the great encouragers that you've been for me during my three and a half years in the blogosphere.

 

I've said it before, but it deserves repeating...you're the best!

 

 

A Scare

A week ago Wednesday, I went for a routine mammogram. The next day, I received a call that they had seen something on the mammogram, and they wanted me to come back for a "spot compression" that would give them a closer look. The appointment was made for yesterday, the 27th.

 

I won't keep you guessing...nothing at all was seen on the re-exam.

 

But I'd like to tell you about my emotional state during the week leading up to the re-exam.

 

Now, I'm a Christian. I know that my sins are covered by the blood of Christ and that, when my body dies, my spirit will be very much alive in His presence. I also know that, in the words of a popular Christian song of many years ago, nothing can happen to me today without passing through my Father's hands.

 

Nevertheless, I experienced some anxiety during that week. One obvious reason was that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 53 and died eight years later of cancer that had spread from that original site. But maybe the biggest reason for my anxiety was knowing how hard it would be for my sweet hubby to watch me go through it if the test revealed cancer.

 

I don't know how to explain what I was feeling. In one sense, the spiritual sense, I guess, I was totally at peace with the possibility...even probability...that this could be it for me. But we are multi-faceted beings, and my mind was racing with things that I'd want to take care of before leaving this earth.

 

A big one is our financial records. I take care of all the finances for our household, and I do most of it electronically. Doug and I were both single until we were in our forties, and he's very capable of handling that job every bit as well as I. He just doesn't enjoy it as much, which is why I do it. But I would have to get all of the online stuff transferred back to manual and snail mail if I were to expect Doug to step in and take over. He just doesn't do computer, except for an occasional game of Solitaire.

 

I've got an unimaginable number of photos from our life and travels together, but most of them are on the computer. I would want to get those into scrapbooks so that Doug could have something tangible to look at and remember.

 

I was even thinking about what Hospice Home I would want to go to when that time came.

 

And there were thoughts about the details for a funeral service. We have the major parts of our funerals already planned and paid for, but there are things like music and photographs and messages that we want to convey that still need to be worked out.

 

I know that some reading this will think that my Christianity doesn't go very deep if all these thoughts were keeping me awake at night...and they were. Maybe there's some truth to that. But I honestly didn't feel anxiety about dying. It was more about leaving...leaving one sad puppy of a husband...leaving things undone that could make life easier for those left behind.

 

In the course of all that thinking, it occurred to me that I spend way too much time on the computer. Well, I confess that that wasn't a new thought, but it became clearer during my week of sleepless nights. Blogging does take a lot of time that I might better spend doing other things. I'm not sure yet where that train of thought will lead me.

 

Anyway, I just felt the need to share my heart about my experience. Maybe it will help someone else.

 

The day before my re-exam was scheduled, I received a letter from the diagnostic company that does the tests, saying that there was no need to be anxious, that approximately one out of 10 women get called back for a second exam, and that the majority of those show no problem. I thought to myself that it would have been nice if the person who called to set up the appointment for my re-exam had told me that six days earlier.

After the good results of yesterday's re-exam, I told Doug that I thought the scale would weigh a lot lighter the next time I weighed myself. He asked why, and I replied that a big burden had just been lifted. He heartily agreed.

An Update, a Rose, and a Video

I'm overdue in giving you an update on my Outlook problems. The old Outlook file was not able to be salvaged, at least without spending the money that Microsoft wanted for repairing it. So I just created a new Outlook account and a new .pst file to go with it. Everything is working fine now. There was no change to my email address. The only downside was that all data that had been saved in the old file was lost. Only time will tell how significant that loss will turn out to be.

Thanks to all of you who offered tips and support. You're the best!

Here's a rose for you:

  

I need to confess that I had nothing to do with this photograph. My friend, Pat, took the picture of this Double Delight rose, given to her by a friend who grew it. Pat very creatively placed the rose in front of her darkened television screen to achieve the black background. Isn't it just a beautiful rose? And Pat says its fragrance is "out of this world."

In closing, I thought I'd just share a cute video clip showing how pets, especially cats, like to try to fit themselves into small spaces. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Computer Problems and More Photos from Ouabache

I'm a little behind with posting, partly because of my frustrations with Microsoft Outlook. On Monday, this error message popped up:

"The file C:\Users\...Outlook.pst has reached its maximum size. To reduce the amount of data in this file, select some items that you no longer need, and then permanently delete them by pressing SHIFT+DELETE. You could also consider using the new Outlook Personal Folders file (.pst) introduced with Outlook 2003 that provides greater capacity for storing items and folders."

Most of my time since then has been spent trying to resolve the problem. I'm unable to delete anything in the program, and I can't send or receive emails with it. Of course, I can access my emails at my online account, but all my address book, calendar, and saved emails reside in my Outlook account on my hard drive.

Wednesday, I engaged in an online chat with a technical support representative from Microsoft. I don't think he'd ever heard of this issue before. He even suggested that I contact my email provider to see if they could help with my software issue. Then he told me that he could fix it for a fee...$99 minimum, or $149 for a year's worth of technical support.

I've created a new Outlook account, so I'm back in business with sending and receiving emails; but it looks as if I'm going to have to recreate my address book and calendar. And there are those few emails that arrived just before the error message was received that are going to be difficult to answer.

Ah, well...that's life in the computer age, isn't it?

Well, let's look at some photos to get our minds off such things. Here are a few more photos taken at Ouabache State Park earlier this month.

Queen Anne's Lace, only partially in bloom, looking very delicate and lacy.

Pearl Crescent Butterfly, a smallish butterfly, partially hidden by grass.

I think this is a young Eastern Bluebird, but I won't swear to it.

I shot this photo of the crescent moon on August 8, after returning home from an afternoon at Ouabache.

Looking at these photos again restores a little peace to my somewhat frazzled spirit.

Twenty-six Years

Doug and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary on Thursday. We opted to celebrate with a quiet day spent with friends at Ouabache State Park.

Our friend, Diane, took the above photo. Left to right are Pat, who often accompanies us on our trips to this state park; Diane's husband, Terry; Diane's empty chair; me; and Doug.

And this is Diane.

Here's one that Diane took of Doug and me, after we had moved our chairs to keep up with the shade.

After spending the afternoon relaxing in the park, we went out for supper at a nearby Chinese buffet. It was the first time I'd ever handed my new camera to a stranger and asked them to take a picture, but the waitress who accepted the challenge did a fine job.

Again, from left to right, Terry, Diane, Pat, me, and Doug.

I've told the story of Doug's and my meeting before, so I won't bore you with it again. For those who are interested in reading that story, click here to go to that post.

And, if you're interested in seeing some of our wedding photos, click here.

A Day Away

Retirement definitely has its perks, one of which is the freedom to just spend an occasional afternoon in a park with a good book...and a camera, of course.

A couple of weeks ago, Doug and I and our friend, Pat, did just that. It was June 22, a very hot and humid Saturday. It was bordering on miserable; but, just when I'd think I couldn't stand it another minute, a little breeze would blow our way and bring some relief.

Of course, food is always included in our days away. (Photo by Pat)

This lovely lady is our friend, Pat.

This kayaker appeared to be searching for the perfect fishing spot.

Lots of others were fishing from the banks of the river.

A small air show was underway nearby.

A view of the river.

That night was the night before the official Super Moon. The next night was cloudy and rainy, so this was the only chance I had for a shot of the Super Moon.

Oh My Broken Back...space Key!

Is it a sign of how many typing errors I make when my backspace key pops off? I never knew how often I used that little bugger until it was gone. Oh, I can still back space, but I have to hit that little dark spot in the center of where the key used to be. That's tricky when I'm used to a larger target.



Preplanning Funerals

Doug and I have seen the wisdom of preplanning our funerals for some time now. With rising funeral costs, it just made sense to get the arrangements made and the price locked in. It also makes life easier for the surviving family members to whom the responsibility might otherwise fall at our deaths.

A couple of years ago, we even sat down with a representative of one of the primary funeral providers in our area to discuss our options. We had a severe case of sticker shock when we walked out of that meeting and never did finalize a plan.

Recently, some friends of ours decided they needed to get serious about getting their funeral plans made. In doing their research, they contacted Northern Indiana Funeral Care (NIFC). Our friends were very impressed with the services and prices that NIFC offered and decided to let that organization have their business.

We met with a representative of NIFC on Tuesday, and we were equally pleased. They got our business, too.

Basically, they can offer less expensive funerals because they encourage people to have the funeral service and same-day visitation at a church or community center, eliminating the expense of the funeral home for those purposes.

They also are endorsed by the American Legion, Department of Indiana, for Veterans' Funeral Plans.

For those of you out there, especially here in Northern Indiana, if you're considering preplanning your funeral, you might want to include Northern Indiana Funeral Care in your investigation.

After all, not one of us is going to get out of here alive...unless we're blessed to still be alive when the Lord returns for His own.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

A Little-Known Fact About Aging

There's something about aging that you younger folks might not know. I didn't know it myself until...well...until I got old.

You see, the thing is, we don't KNOW we're old. Oh, we know our chronological age, and we know that people of that age are traditionally thought of as old. But the truth is, there is a teenager trapped inside that aging body.

Sometimes that gets us into trouble, as when I recently ran (literally) to the garage to get something out of our vehicle. As I turned to run (literally) back into the house, my shoes slipped on the garage floor; and I went down. Hard. The old body, with its slower reflexes, betrayed the teenager inside who felt just as agile as ever.

Sometimes this little-known fact of aging just creates humorous moments, as last week when I heard strange sounds coming from the kitchen. I was, as usual, in the computer room at the other end of the house. What I was hearing sounded like something plastic being bounced on the kitchen floor.

I called out, "What are you doing out there?"

Doug replied, sheepishly, "Playing with my pill bottle."

Laughing, I called back, "What is this...the senior version of 'kick the can'?"

Then I went out to the kitchen and found Doug tossing an empty pill bottle over his head and behind his back and catching it. Well, catching it some of the time.

My 16-year-old-in-a-70-year-old-body husband was just checking to see if he still had the moves from his baseball-playing days.

I love the boy in that man.

Thanks to Hilary at The Smitten Image for including this post as a Post of the Week.

  

A Good Bad Day

Saturday, we decided to go on a mini-vacation to Chain O' Lakes State Park. Before embarking on the hour's drive to the park, we stopped at Subway to get sandwiches for a picnic lunch later. After arriving at Chain O' Lakes, we spent about an hour driving through the park, trying unsuccessfully to find a suitable place to enjoy an afternoon of reading.

We finally gave up and decided to head for Ouabache State Park, about an hour away. When we arrived there, we found that a wedding party had reserved our favorite spot; and they were using every inch of it. We walked partway around the lake, looking for something else that would work. Nothing. Then we went back to another picnic area...one with no view of the lake...but we didn't really see what we were looking for there either. Lots of trees and big limbs were down in that area, damage suffered during a big storm a couple of weeks ago.

It was midafternoon by then, and we still hadn't eaten our Subway sandwiches. Neither of us was really hungry, so we just decided we'd save the sandwiches and consider them to be supper instead of lunch.

After leaving Ouabache State Park, we drove back to the nearby town of Bluffton and followed the River Greenway for awhile, thinking we might find the kind of place we were looking for along there...a place to enjoy our picnic or to sit and read or both. But we didn't find it there either.

So then we decided to go to one of our favorite eating establishments...the hospital cafeteria in another nearby town...and just get a bowl of soup. Then we'd have our Subways when we got home. But the soup at the hospital that day was cream of mushroom. That isn't a favorite for either of us, although the soups in that particular hospital cafeteria have never disappointed.

We decided to skip the soup and head for home, where we enjoyed our Subways in front of the television set.

Doug compared our experiences Saturday with the time we drove four hours to Houghton Lake only to turn around and come right back home. 

On the surface, one would think we'd had a bad day. But it was a GOOD bad day since it was a pretty day for a drive, and we were both having a good time in spite of our many disappointments.

The Evolution of Hair...Mine, That Is

This is a picture of me as a little girl. The blond hair was natural. The curls were not. No eyeglasses; no contact lenses. Just half blind and no one knew.

This is my high school senior picture. The mousy brown hair color was natural. The waves were not. The glasses were stylish then. Trust me on that.



This was taken some time after high school. The straight hair was natural. The blond color was not. Glasses replaced by contact lenses.

This one was taken in 1986, when I was 42. That woman in the picture with me, with the thick dark hair with a tiny patch of gray in the front, was my great-aunt, who was almost 77 years old. The hair color was natural for both of us.



This one is from 1991, shortly before I began coloring my hair. I had thought I was okay with turning gray...until some thirty-something guy we met on a trail in the Smokies seemed to think I was old enough to be his mother. I was...but that's beside the point.



This was taken in 1997. Look, Ma...no gray!

This one was taken in 2002. The hair length was getting shorter, and I had stopped getting it permed.

This was my first profile picture for my blog, taken in 2010. Glasses are back. Contacts could no longer fully correct my vision.

And this is the latest photo of me. It was taken a few days ago. I decided in January that it was time to see what was under the hair color. It has taken several months to grow it out. It's still a shock to me when I walk past a department store mirror and see my reflection. Fortunately, I don't shop much.

Recently, Doug dropped me off at the door of a restaurant so I could go in and get a table while he parked the car. But then he couldn't find me when he came in. He didn't recognize me with my gray hair.

The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. (Prov. 16:31)

Some Memories Live On In The Wrong Minds

We took Doug's brother, Dennis, out for supper Saturday night, to celebrate his birthday. And he just had to remind me of an incident that I had tried to banish forever from my memory.

Many years ago, we had met a large group of friends, including Dennis, for dinner at a very nice restaurant prior to all of us going together to hear the Cathedral Quartet in concert. The restaurant featured a dessert buffet...a very long table filled with all kinds of tasty treats.

Being an avid chocoholic, I headed straight for the chocolate tort, beautifully displayed on a lovely pedestal cake stand.

Although the tort had already been cut into individual servings, no one had yet taken a piece. Undeterred by the prospect of being the first, I picked up the serving utensil lying next to it and, with that in my right hand and a dessert plate in my left, attempted to serve myself a piece of that tort.

I had barely touched the cake stand with the serving utensil when it collapsed, falling off the back side of the table with a clatter and the dull thud of chocolate tort hitting carpet.

Of course, everyone at my table was saying, "Did YOU do that?" And those at other tables were just staring and pointing and whispering to their companions. At the commotion, a man came running from the kitchen, looking from me to the mess at the dessert table.

Hesitantly, I asked, "Do you work here?"

He again looked from me to the disaster at the dessert table and said, "I USED to," as if he was about to lose his job because of me.

But, in the end, he was very nice about the whole thing. It turned out that the pedestal on that cake plate had been cracked. It broke in two at the first touch of the serving utensil, dumping the tort onto the floor and embarrassing me beyond words.

But my "friends," as well as my brother-in-law, have very long memories and are not at all shy about reminding me of the incident.

 

Removing All Doubt

Yesterday, because of recent solar flares and coronal mass ejections being hurled toward earth, northern tier states were advised to be on the lookout for Northern Lights displays. Now, Indiana does get to see Northern Lights from time to time, but they are rarely the dramatic displays that are visible in more northerly regions. And Northern Lights rank right up there among Doug's and my favorite things.

So we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go a little further north, to improve our chances of seeing a good display. We were somewhat limited on distance because I had a late-morning doctor appointment that prevented us from getting an early start. So we chose a town about a four-hour drive from where we live.

When I returned home from my doctor appointment, we went online to find lodging at our destination. The plan was to stay two nights, giving us a second chance to view the Lights in case the first night didn't pan out. We booked a cabin, rationalizing that a cabin would be a more comfortable place than a motel to spend the second day while waiting for night to fall and another opportunity to watch for the Lights.

We still had packing to do, which we manage to make challenging even for a two-night stay. After all, there are our own pillows to take because who can sleep well without their own pillows? And Doug has a CPAP machine which has to be packed, along with the mask, tubing, and distilled water for the humidifier tank. Then, of course, going north in the winter requires some emergency supplies like peanut butter, jelly, and bread for when we can't find a restaurant. We never like to be too far from food.

This might be a good time to mention the reason for my doctor appointment. I have been experiencing some pretty severe discomfort in my right knee for some time now.  It would come and go for awhile, but then it moved in and stayed for a couple of weeks, getting pretty bad by last weekend. Of course, when I went to the doctor yesterday, the knee was doing quite well. He listened to my description of the onset and progress of the condition; then he poked and prodded the area a bit. He felt that a short regimen of Prednisone would reduce the inflammation and probably take care of things.

However, as we were packing for our trip after my appointment, the knee was becoming increasingly painful and swollen. I told myself that it was because of all the activity surrounding the packing and that it would get better once we got on the road. I'm not always truthful with myself.

So, by the time we finished our preparations and hit the road, it was about 3:30 PM. We stopped a little over an hour later for supper. As soon as we got out of the car to go into the restaurant, Doug began hiccuping. I should probably mention that he's been battling hiccups for three weeks. They come for a few days; then they go for a few days. But he's pretty miserable during the few days they stay.

As I limped into the restaurant, followed by a hiccuping husband, it did occur to me that maybe we should just turn around and go back home. But we decided to push on.

We arrived at our destination at about 9:00 PM. There was a lot of snow and ice on the ground, although we could tell that a significant amount had already melted. The temperature was in the mid-twenties, and the sky was partly cloudy. The conditions were less than ideal for viewing the Northern Lights. But we could always hope for better conditions the next night.

We found the office and got checked in, then went to look at our cabin. The doorknob was so loose that it almost came off in our hands as we inserted the key and tried to turn it. Inside, we found a large room that combined a living room and kitchen. There were two bedrooms, each with a full-size bed, neither of which looked very inviting. The cabin was cold, with the only heat source being a small gas fireplace which faced away from the bedrooms and would never be able to heat them adequately. Our hearts sank when we saw it. We looked at each other and agreed that we needed to ask for our money back, which the owners graciously granted.

So then we found ourselves out in the cold night with no Plan B. Doug suggested that we retrace our route southward about forty miles, to where the skies had been clearer and where we might find other lodging. As we drove along, with Doug hiccuping and me rubbing my aching knee, I looked at him and said, "You know, we could be home by 2 AM."

He agreed, and we headed for home.

We stopped at a truck stop about an hour away from home for gasoline and to use the restrooms. It was about 12:30 AM. A guy in the truck stop noticed my limp and struck up a conversation with me. He asked where we were headed. I told him, and he commented that we didn't have far to go. Then he asked me where we were coming from. How could I explain that we'd left home nine hours ago and were just an hour away? He's probably still scratching his head over that.

So, if you have ever wondered whether we might be a bit on the crazy side...this should remove all doubt.

Waving at Dave

I've kept a journal on my computer for a number of years. My entries were pretty sporadic during my working years; but, after my layoff/retirement in 2000, I've been pretty faithful about keeping it current on a daily basis.

I've found many benefits to this practice. The most obvious is that it provides a written record of events. When my aging brain refuses to recall them on demand, the journal program allows me to search for a word or phrase; and it will locate all the entries that contain that word or phrase.

Another fun benefit is that the journal often allows me to win arguments because I can look back and prove that the event occurred just as I said it did. Of course, if I look back and find that the event didn't occur that way, no one needs to know.

Since I've started blogging, though, I've discovered yet another benefit of journaling. Often, as I'm searching through the journal for something else, I'll come across an entry that provides a little blog fodder.

Following is an example:

Our good friend, Dave, had been laid off by the company where he had worked as an electrical engineer for most of his career. Instead of moping around about the layoff, Dave eagerly decided to pursue a career he had always wanted...as a truck driver. He took the CDL training and was hired by a local auto auction to pick up and deliver vehicles for the auction.

One morning, Dave called us to say that he would be passing through our little town in his Auto Auction truck. So Doug and I jumped into the car and drove down to the corner to watch for him. Our timing was perfect. As we arrived at the corner, we saw a big car hauler coming, so we both waved energetically until the driver waved back at us. Then we saw Dave in the truck that was following the car hauler.

Either Dave's truck route never took him through our little town again or he chose not to call us when it did.